Author : Andrew P. Vincent
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 267 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (12 download)
Book Synopsis An Action Research Approach to Positive Youth Development Through Sport by : Andrew P. Vincent
Download or read book An Action Research Approach to Positive Youth Development Through Sport written by Andrew P. Vincent and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ABSTRACT: Research in the area of Positive Youth Development through Sport has shown that, under the right circumstances, participation in sport can have a beneficial influence on the development of youth (Holt & Neely, 2011). Although much research has examined youth sport programs designed to foster positive development, comparatively little research has focused on understanding positive development in skill-focused youth sport settings. Using a methodological approach that draws from the ontological theories of Carnap (1950) and the epistemological theories of Habermas (1971), the purpose of the present study was to use an action research approach to gain insight into the nature of PYDS in a skill-focused youth sport context. Participants in the present study were stakeholders in a high level U16 boys soccer team in Western Massachusetts. Data were collected using a combination of Collaborative Ratings Scales, interviews, reflection worksheets, and researcher journaling throughout cycles of planning, action, and reflection as the youth sport stakeholders worked toward their goals. Analysis of the data corresponded to the technical, practical, and emancipatory domains of human interest (Habermas, 1971), with a focus on three questions: (a) Did stakeholders increase effectiveness and efficiency in their goal areas? (b) How did stakeholders describe their experiences working toward each goal area? (c) How did stakeholders describe restrictive conditions of their experience and did changes in meaning occur to allow them to move past these restrictions? Findings provided some evidence that stakeholders made progress towards their season goals, with comfort, relationships, leadership, and personality emerging as important themes of their experience in each of the four goal areas. Implications for PYDS and methodological implications of these findings are discussed.